Critters

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Black Widow on the driveway. I was positioning it into the light and it's rear leg came off. Poor little latrotoxin injecting creature. RIP.

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Poor little guy. :(

Of note though, I read an article my Mongabay (one of the leading environmental awareness advocacy groups) that said that the Northern Black Widow (a separate species) is creeping further north. From the map they showed, it looks like I'm in the epicentre of their confirmed sightings and overall range, which doesn't surprise me because I had one walk across my leg while I was bank fishing here one time about 6-7 years ago. It was about the size of a nickel, had the classic bulbous body of a black widow, and it had the same distinct red and white dots and stripes on its abdomen. I wasn't even sure what it was until I looked it up online and I was pretty shocked to say the least. I didn't even know about them until then.

The article also mentions the rare Black Purse-web spider, which has been confirmed here as well. I have also had Brown Recluse or "fiddleback" spider scurry across my hand as I was moving some firewood outside. Perfect habitat for them. Now I'm just careful. They have a right to live too. I was also bit by a Yellow Sac spider about 4 years ago that caused necrosis in my flesh about the size of the end of a pencil that I thought was kind of cool. lol It healed completely though. :p My house has tons of them and I just leave them be.

Here's the article if you want to read it. Many people don't even know the Northern Black Widow even exists, or that such a spider exists this far north.

https://news.mongabay.com/wildtech/...forms-help-scientists-predict-species-ranges/

I also found this article as I was looking for the Mongabay article:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/black-widow-climate-change-1.4778025
 
Poor little guy. :(

Of note though, I read an article my Mongabay (one of the leading environmental awareness advocacy groups) that said that the Northern Black Widow (a separate species) is creeping further north.

Here in Northern California Sierra Foothills they are everywhere. I can go out with a flashlight at night and see 5 or 6 around the house.

In this photo you can see she got agitated, raised her front legs straight up and showed her fangs.

Interesting links, thanks.

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Here in Northern California Sierra Foothills they are everywhere. I can go out with a flashlight at night and see 5 or 6 around the house.

In this photo you can see she got agitated, raised her front legs straight up and showed her fangs.

Interesting links, thanks.

View attachment 1270602

Yeah, I saw a bunch while I was hiking and camping in California in 2014. Me and two other friends stayed at a motel one night where there were several black widows and TONS of cockroaches outside our room. For people reading who don't know, the cockroaches weren't due to the motel being a dump or anything. Cockroaches run wild by the thousands in many parts of California (there were tons at one of our campsites too), so they were just a natural part of the local ecosystem.

Anyway, my two friends slept in the two beds and I slept on the floor on my sleeping pad and sleeping bag with my head within a couple feet of the door. There was the tiniest gap under the door, so to say the least, it took me awhile to fall asleep that night! lol I was worried about either one (or several) already being in the room or one crawling into my bag as I slept, or into my shoes, but all was well. Luckily I never brought anything home. Cockroaches either. lol

I'd love to find another Northern Black Widow though. I know of areas they would probably be, but haven't gone to look for them yet. Same goes for the Black Purse-web spider, which are pretty rare, but I know of a confirmed area where they have been observed. I actually think Northern Black Widows are pretty cool looking though. The markings can vary a bit on them, but the one that crawled across my leg was identical to this one. It was very pretty.

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Yeah, I saw a bunch while I was hiking and camping in California in 2014. Me and two other friends stayed at a motel one night where there were several black widows and TONS of cockroaches outside our room. For people reading who don't know, the cockroaches weren't due to the motel being a dump or anything. Cockroaches run wild by the thousands in many parts of California (there were tons at one of our campsites too), so they were just a natural part of the local ecosystem.

Anyway, my two friends slept in the two beds and I slept on the floor on my sleeping pad and sleeping bag with my head within a couple feet of the door. There was the tiniest gap under the door, so to say the least, it took me awhile to fall asleep that night! lol I was worried about either one (or several) already being in the room or one crawling into my bag as I slept, or into my shoes, but all was well. Luckily I never brought anything home. Cockroaches either. lol

I'd love to find another Northern Black Widow though. I know of areas they would probably be, but haven't gone to look for them yet. Same goes for the Black Purse-web spider, which are pretty rare, but I know of a confirmed area where they have been observed. I actually think Northern Black Widows are pretty cool looking though. The markings can vary a bit on them, but the one that crawled across my leg was identical to this one. It was very pretty.

72cdcb8e81c08f54f4015a3dbf214dc1de0e59c9.jpg

Since posting this I came across this article about how the range of the Northern Black Widow is spreading. I thought it was interesting.

https://news.mongabay.com/wildtech/...forms-help-scientists-predict-species-ranges/
 
And, in a creative naming moment, I'm calling this one Number 10
caught and released, this day, 2018-11-07 AM

by what I can see from its coloring, this one looks like a baby western red diamondback. These get really large, like up to 7'


as found:
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I took the picture, and the flash was on, which spooked it, and it buried itself into the rocks that it is immediately near. That meant the welding gloves came out, and a dig commenced.
He was in the area where I've been removing an old rotten pool deck, and, backfilling an old swimming pool with dirt.

captured, and in waiting trash can awaiting delivery to the river bottom preserve, for release.
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river bottom preserve release
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